Eosinophils from eosinophilic oesophagitis patients have T cell suppressive capacity and express FOXP3.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an antigen-driven T cell-mediated chronic inflammatory disease where food and environmental antigens are thought to have a role. Human eosinophils express the immunoregulatory protein galectin-10 and have T cell suppressive capacity similar to regulatory T cells (Tregs ). We hypothesized that one function of eosinophils in EoE might be to regulate the T cell-driven inflammation in the oesophagus. This was tested by evaluating the suppressive capacity of eosinophils isolated from the blood of adult EoE patients in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. In addition, eosinophilic expression of forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3), the canonical transcription factor of Tregs , was determined by conventional and imaging flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), confocal microscopy and immunoblotting. It was found that blood eosinophils from EoE patients had T cell suppressive capacity, and that a fraction of the eosinophils expressed FOXP3. A comparison of EoE eosinophils with healthy control eosinophils indicated that the patients' eosinophils had inferior suppressive capacity. Furthermore, a higher percentage of the EoE eosinophils expressed FOXP3 protein compared with the healthy eosinophils, and they also had higher FOXP3 protein and mRNA levels. FOXP3 was found in the cytosol and nucleus of the eosinophils from both the patients and healthy individuals, contrasting with the strict nuclear localization of FOXP3 in Tregs . To conclude, these findings suggest that the immunoregulatory function of eosinophils may be impaired in EoE.

National survey of potential heart beating solid organ donors in Sweden.

Sweden has about 135 heart beating solid organ donors per year among 9.2 million inhabitants. Earlier estimations have suggested that 250-300 of potential heart beating donors might be available in the country annually. The present study is the first nationwide survey to establish the number of potential heart-beating donors, based on all patient deaths in Swedish intensive care units (ICUs). In the present study, a potential heart-beating solid organ donor was strictly defined as "a patient in an ICU on mechanical ventilation with the diagnosis of brain death." All 85 eligible ICUs reported all patient deaths over a 3 month period of October through December 2007. The instrument consisted of 10 questions. The majority of data were entered electronically by the ICU staff into the "Swedish Intensive Care Registry." The total number of reported patient deaths was 875 with 7.4% of patients who died meeting the criteria for a potential heart-beating solid organ donor. Actually 51% of them became donors. Reasons for not becoming a donor were refusals in 31%, medical reasons in 14%, impossibility to obtain consent in 1.5%, and no suitable recipient in 3%. Furthermore, 1.5% of patients did not become donors because of preferential forensic examinations. The main conclusion of the study was that the actual number of potential heart-beating solid organ donors in Sweden seems to be less than earlier estimates. Another interesting observation is the existence of a group of artificially ventilated, brain injury patients in whom the death was diagnosed by cardiac arrest. We think that this group of patient deaths deserves further investigation in future projects.

Presence of K88-specific receptors in porcine ileal mucus is age dependent.

Ileal mucus and epithelial cells were isolated from newborn piglets that had never been fed and 35-day-old unweaned piglets. Both newborn and 35-day-old piglet mucus preparations supported growth of Escherichia coli Bd 1107/75 08, a K88-fimbriated porcine enterotoxigenic strain, equally well (i.e., generation times of 28 min were observed in both cases). Adhesion of E. coli Bd 1107/75 08 to 35-day-old piglet ileal epithelial cells was, at most, 2 times that of the same strain to newborn piglet ileal epithelial cells; however, adhesion of E. coli Bd 1107/75 08 to 35-day-old piglet ileal mucus was 16 times that of the same strain to newborn piglet ileal mucus. The receptor in 35-day-old piglet ileal mucus was K88 specific, since it could be removed by purified K88ab fimbriae. Furthermore, adhesion of E. coli Bd 1107/75 08 to 35-day-old piglet ileal mucus was blocked by PAB10, a K88ab-, K88ac-, K88ad-specific monoclonal antibody. Although E. coli Bd 1107/75 08 traversed both newborn and 35-day-old piglet ileal mucus about equally well in vitro and bound well to underlying ileal epithelial cells after passing through newborn ileal mucus, it did not bind to ileal epithelial cells after passing through 35-day-old piglet ileal mucus. The data are discussed with respect to the role that K88-specific receptors present in newborn and ileal mucus might play in the pathogenesis of porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli strains which bear K88 fimbriae.

Heparin binding growth factors and the control of teratoma cell proliferation.

The role of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the control of teratoma cell proliferation was examined. It was found that bFGF stimulates proliferation at low concentrations but induces cell migration at higher doses. These effects could be efficiently counteracted by addition of protamine sulphate. Moreover the bFGF gene is actively transcribed in primary human testicular embryonal carcinomas but was not expressed in any other embryonic tumour examined. The biological implications of these findings will be discussed.

Developmental regulation of insulin like growth factor II expression in the horse.

The expression of the insulin like growth factor (IGF) II gene has been examined in the developing equine fetus. It was found that IGF II transcripts were present in abundant quantities in third trimester embryonic and extraembryonic tissues as for example the placenta. The expression of the IGF II gene was high in the fetal liver where two prominent transcripts--4.6 and 4.1--kB were produced. However, these transcripts could not be traced in the adult liver. Instead we found two different transcripts with the sizes of 4.0 and 2.9 kB in the adult liver. These findings taken together with the demonstration of heterologous IGF II cDNA hybridizing to equine DNA-digests suggests that the IGF II gene is under developmental control in the horse, with the possible existence of different promoters.